Jerome henry deters and charles kiechler



J. H. DE TERS-8z 0. KIEGHLER.

STREET GAR SIGN (No Model.)

Patented Aug. 13,1895.

, lowing is a specification.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEROME HENRY DETERS AND CHARLES KIEOHLER', on'cmoINNArI, OHIO;

SAID KI ECHLER ASSIGNOR TO AMOS DYE, OF SAME PLACE.

STREET-CARSIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,504, dated August 13, 1895.

I Application filed April 22,1895. Serial Ill'o. 546,769- (No model.)

county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improve-- ments in Street-Oar Signs, of whichtthe fol- Our invention relates to luble or changeable route-indioators-or signs for the tops of street-cars and the like, the novel features of which are fully hereinafter described, and particularly'pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure tie a longitudinal front elevation'of our-invention, showing the supportingcar-roof in crosssection; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section showing thesupporting-standards or bracketbearings broken off and the said car-roof omitted; Fig. 3, a longitudinal elevation of the back or inner face of one of the signslidcs; Fig. 4, an end elevation to the right of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 a full-size cross-section of one corner of the skeleton-frame, showingtwo slides therein and a broken 0E inner elevation of the adjacent end head, the whole being taken on the dotted line 00 rb'of Fig. 1.

A represents the ordinary car-roof, at either end or side of which the sign is mounted.

B B are the upright bracket-armsor standards, having open jawsb b at their upper ends, and with their bases suitably secured upon said car-roof.

Our sign-frameis preferably composed of four hollow longitudinal corner-bars a, a, a and a and square end heads or flanged plates 0 C, the corners of the latter fitting within the several right-angled inner portions 0 of said corner-bars, to which they are suitably secured. Said corner-bars are each made of sheet metal, which is bent with an outer curve or are and the said inner rightangle,-suitable gnideways or grooves a being constrnetecl at the opposite ends of said are and rightangledportion, all as best shown in Fig.

D D D D represent four rectangular slides fitting within'the guideways c of our skeletonframe, and d d are hollow, central bearings or trunnions projecting laterally from the" illuminated revoend heads U UT and resting in the open jaws b of the standards B to support the sign. The- -trunnion d is made cylindrical and the other trunnion-d square in cross-section, whereby thesign may be released'at end dandgfree to turnon the other trunnion, said square trunnion d preventing its turning when set in position for view. The slides are each composed of a stenciled sheet-metal front side or face 1 and a backing 2 of glass or other transparent material, said metal sides overlapping the glass backing in the manner best seen in The'letters of the destination word (Avondale, for instance, as in Fig. 1) are cut in nati) to correspond to that of the route over which the car is passing, thus causing said letters to most clearly appear in the desired color of the route, the solid-metal portion ,of the'face surrounding them. being, of course, perfectly opaque and giving greaterintensity to said letters for the better view of the observer orwaiting passenger.

-E E represent central rods or shafts proend heads-G 0' and connected, as'well as strengthened or reinforced, by an elbowed rod preferably made of ordinary gas-piping, those E E projecting outwardly through .the end' heads and their hollow trunnions and constructed with a screw-thread for receiving the securing-nuts e and e'.

'G and G." are incandescent electric lamps mounted in the couplingsfat the inner'ends of said shaft-rods E E, and g g are the current-cond uctors passed through said gas-pipe shafts to-the lamps.

H H are scalloped or cruciform plates having square central orifices to fit, respectively, over the trnnnions d and d, the trunnion (1 being made squareat its inner end to properly accommodate plateH and both plates lying contiguous to the outer faces of the end whereby thelatte'r are prevented from accidental longitudinal displacement.

The elbowed rod F is preferably arranged at an inclination rearwardly, so that it shall heads and the ends of the said sign-slides,

the metal face, and the glass backing is of the regulation color (yellow here in Cineinjecting inwardly a short distance Jfromthe- F, asbest seen in Fig. 2. These rods are-all vlie in line with one ofthe angles or corners of thesign, :thus preventing any shadow therefrom to fall upon the front face to obscure the letters. 7

, Instead of using all four sides of the sign as transparent destination-iudicators, two of them (I) and 1))conld be supplied with mi rror orrefieetor slide-fillings, as best seen in the heavy-black line 3, Fig. 5, which ,reprebacking, thus securing abetter andmore pow- 'stenciled letters in the exposed front slide anden'able'their clear observation at a greater. distance than couldbepossible without such,

reflector-surfaces. I One'lamp would be ample sents the mirror-plating or reflecting silver vert'ul light'from the lamps to illuminate the with said reflector-backing, and inthat case it should be centrally mounted in the sign.

3 In the sign'shown therlamps and central 5 r =rods (instead of to the end heads, as aforesaid,)

shaft turn with the slide box when one end (thatto' t'henight) has been raised from its bearing-jawyb'u't it is gobvious that the said shaft could be made stationary and the slidehox revolve thereon by 'sim-plyzma'king the trunnions fast to theouter ends of the shaftand leaving the nuts on saidshafts somewhat free from-contact with the inner faces of the end heads andgouter ends of the said trun- 13 nions, and also providingsuitable catch devices to hold-the sign in proper position for yiewwhen once set. t t

A sign with stenciled-slides and either 601,

ored'o'r no fillings, such as herein shown and described, is obviously effective for both day and night use and imparts to the passenger waiting ahead for the car a ready and definite new,both of the destination or direction of travel and the route to which the car belongs. In the operation of the sign the side desired to be brought to view may be readily accomplished by simply raising-or releasing the righttrunnion end fromits open bearing-jaw, then turning it on the left cylindrica'l trunnion till the destination-slide is to the front,

and then replacing said right trunnion end into its bearing-jaw. To remove the slides 1 from either end, for repairs or replacing with 'ether'slides or colored fillings, the sigh is reof the barrienplates H H is removed, thereby permitting the ready withdrawal lengthwise of either slide from place in the grooved ways.

Should the sign be made with a stationary shaft, then wewonld prefer to mount reflectors of anysuitable construction directly moved from its bearings, and then either one 56 thereon to the rear of the lamp or lamps, so

thatall four faces of the sign would be clear for night use.

' "We claim-- 1. In a street car sign, the combination, with two standards, one of which is provided with asquare socket, of a frame jou'rnal'ed therein, provided with a shaft at each end, a hollow trunnion upon each shaft, one, of which is square and the-end of the other one is square, removable slides in the sides of the frame a scalloped baffle-plate at each end of theframe I having a square'hole and fitting between the ends of the frame and the standards, and a nut upon the outer end of each shaft for hold ing the trunnious against the end of the frame, substantially as set forth.

p 2. In a'revoluble or changeable route sign or indicator for street-cars, the combination of an open skeleton-frame having guide" ways therein and suitably trunnioned endheads; one or more sign-slides composed of stenciled metallic front-faces and fillings of colored glass or other similar, suitable transparent'material, and adapted to engage said of tulaing and on which said frame and its sign 8 ide or slides are mounted; oneor more incandescent electric-lamps mounted on said shaft and adapted to diffuse light through the colored glass and stenciled letters of said sign slide or slides; barrier-plates or catches adjacent the outer ends of said sign slide or slides; and suitable bearing-standards for the resting of the trunnions of said frame,' 

